Ouch
by espergirl04
Summary: Even doctors get migraines, good thing Neela has someone there to help. Oneshot RayNeela.


All right…so I actually haven't seen that many episodes of ER, but what I have seen I loved and so I started reading some fics…and LOVED the pairing of Ray/Neela…and just had to try my hand at it.

Disclaimer: Don't own ER…or any of the characters…or anything that has to do with it…wheee!

* * *

Neela shrieked and rolled off the couch when she heard someone come banging through the door. A startled curse answered her and then the lights were flicked on. She winced and threw her arm over her eyes to block out the offending brightness.

"Neela?" Ray stood in the doorway a wary expression on his face.

"Bloody hell Ray, are you trying scare me to death?" she groaned.

"You okay?" he had shut the door and was now standing over her. "What were you doing on the couch anyways." He was glanced down at his watch.

She didn't answer for a minute, why had she been on the couch and not in her bed. Oh. That was why. "I didn't quite make it to my room…I came home and thought my bloody head was about to explode so I took an aspirin and crashed on the couch."

She remembered now, after a not so pleasant day in ER she had developed the worst migraine possibly imaginable…at least she figured it was the worst migraine possibly imaginable. Even if it wasn't it was getting there. It had taken her hours to finally get to sleep due to the incessant throbbing of her head, and sleep had been the only thing that could give her peace from it. Now, thanks to her dear roomie, it came hitting her like a brick…or a bag of bricks…no…maybe a boulder.

"Oh, need anything?" he asked, mildly concerned.

"For you to leave me alone after you so kindly brought me back to my misery," she crawled back on the couch.

"All right then…really though, if you need anything just call me." _After my shower that is,_ he couldn't help thinking. "Sorry about the whole waking you up, scaring you thing," he added as an afterthought. She didn't reply and he headed off to the bathroom with a shrug.

Neela lay on the couch hitting her head against the pillow trying to make it go away. Obviously it wasn't the best solution to the problem and only helped in increasing her discomfort. Sleep didn't seem to be coming anytime soon and she growled. Ray had finished his shower already and after asking her yet again if she needed anything had gone to his room. No doubt he was blissfully sleeping.

After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a minute, an irrational fear came over her. It could be a brain tumor…she was going to die…no no…maybe an artery in her brain was about to burst…oh my God…she was going to…_STOP IT_, she commanded herself. But her thoughts continued to go over and over the subject of different things the migraine could be symptoms of…most all of them resulting in death. She felt her eyes beginning to sting and she cursed inwardly, there was no way she was letting this happen…it was quite stupid when one thought about it. It was only a headache for crying out loud…yet here she was nearly reduced to tears. It had to be from working in the hospital…great…now she was becoming paranoid.

She lay on the couch for a little while longer, staring at the ceiling. It was clear that this wasn't going to work; every little throb sent a jab of fear through her. Finally she sat up and gave a stifled sob as the pain intensified, God but it hurt. Staggering down the hallway she found herself not by her own door but by Ray's. After moment's hesitation she pushed it open, greeted by a lumpy, sleeping form. The form shifted and sat up, her mood was worsened when she saw he had no shirt and she turned to go. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Hey, Neela…" he was groggy but he knew if she was coming to his room this late, something had to be the matter. She turned back around and he was surprised and a little scared to see her eyes watering and her face scrunched up in pain. He stood up and she backed away suddenly.

"Never mind…sorry to wake you…I'm fine…" she mumbled and tried to make it to her room but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"No you are not fine, is your migraine that bad?" he asked in what he hoped was a comforting voice. She seemed to struggle with herself for a moment than broke down and nodded. "Here, lay down," he motioned towards his bed and she froze. This wasn't exactly what she had been expecting.

Sensing her discomfort he added, "Lying down will help." When she made no move he decided to take matters in his own hands. Easily he picked her up and threw her over one shoulder, not surprised in the least when she started kicking at him.

"RAY! PUT ME DOWN!" she attempted to wriggle out of his grasp but he held on even when her elbow connected with his eye. He deposited her on his bed and she stopped screaming at him and looked up at him silently.

"Close your eyes," he commanded. Eyeing him with suspicion, she reluctantly did as he said. Gently he began massaging her head and for a while it distracted her from the pain. It was mainly because of the tingling sensation that seemed to have developed in her stomach. Sadly the relief was short lived and too soon it came rushing back.

Without thinking she began rambling on about her earlier concerns. "Ray."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to die."

She said it so seriously that he couldn't manage to hold back his laughter, her eyes flew open and she glared at him.

"It isn't funny! I could have a brain tumor…or…or…something, and I'm going to die and you won't be laughing then, will you?" she sounded slightly hysterical and he stopped massaging her.

"Listen, as a doctor, I am telling you that you are not going to die. It's a headache and it'll go away, the best way is probably for you to go to sleep and when you wake up it'll be gone…so go to sleep and don't think about dying," he couldn't conceal the amusement in his voice.

"I can't," she whimpered and tears started forming again. She honestly could not help it and she was disgusted with herself. She had a feeling that the next day she would hate herself for this.

Ray sat thinking, he hated seeing her so vulnerable and in pain but he couldn't think of anything else to do. She had already taken pain killers, what else was there?

"Ray?"

"Hmm?" he looked down at her and felt a sudden surge of affection. Her large brown eyes were fixed on him and despite their blurred pain they were beautiful. He carefully brushed her dark hair away from her face.

"This really sucks…"

"I bet, if you sleep it'll get better."

"But I can't sleep, I told you that," she sounded a bit exasperated.

"I can try to help," he attempted to keep from grinning.

Lying down beside her he wrapped his arms around her, realizing that this was the first time he had been this close to her. He didn't like her that way…of course he didn't…besides, he knew for a fact that she most definitely did not like him. But lying there with her in his arms, trying to take some of her pain away, he felt something for her that was clearly more than one should feel for someone who was just their roommate.

Ever so slowly she allowed herself to relax, with Ray holding her the fears of some weird and horrible illness faded. She felt his fingers running absentmindedly through her hair, soothing her. Her head ached as bad as ever but sleep took hold of her and moments later she couldn't feel the pain any more.

She woke to a dull ache and a numb arm…a numb arm due to the fact that it was being crushed…by someone…wait…what? Her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, she was in bed with Ray…she was in Ray's bed…she had been sleeping…in Ray's bed…with Ray in it. Oh God. Her sudden movement woke him up and he grinned at her.

"Headache gone? Not dead?" he asked. That was right, she had had a migraine and…oooh…yeah…she had been a tad stupid and irrational.

"No more pain," she looked at him and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Ray, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

He blinked and gingerly touched his eye. The eye she had elbowed him in. The eye that was now black.

"Great," he stood up, heading for the bathroom to assess the damage.

"Wait," Neela called.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…for you know…everything," she was blushing slightly. "And…erm…I really am sorry about that. Well, and sorry about acting…stupid…and childish…and…"

"It's fine, well, fine except for the fact that everyone in the ER is going to be laughing at me for getting beat up by my roommate." A sudden excited expression crossed his face, "Wait, we could tell them that it happened while we were in the midst of—"

"RAY! You prat, do you want another black eye!"

"Not particularly," he sprinted to the bathroom as Neela came after him, shutting the door before she could get to him.

They both started laughing. "You know, maybe you aren't so bad."

"Wait…did I hear correctly, can you write that down?"

"Sure, would you also like me to write a letter explaining why you're late for work while I'm at it?"

She heard Ray curse and laughed. Maybe migraines had an upside after all…

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Some of the ideas I took from my own experience with a super bad headache…17 years allergy free and all of a sudden they decide to kick in, worst sinus headache ever and sadly the thought _I'm going to die omg_, actually did cross my mind, hehe.

Please review! Even if you didn't like it, but at least tell me why you didn't.


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